


Lead Me To You

by vinesse



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, Werewolf AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:09:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21764296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vinesse/pseuds/vinesse
Summary: Andrew was somewhere nearby, hidden in the underbrush, but Neil knew that he was still there. He could hear the soft movements of Andrew’s paws, smell him in the wind that cut through the trees (and Neil’s jacket) like a knife.Written for the winter round of the All For The Game Exchange hosted on tumblr! Just a small werewolf AU focusing on Neil, with a lot of Andrew sprinkled in.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 106
Collections: AFTG Exchange Winter 2019





	Lead Me To You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pnkmoneel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pnkmoneel/gifts).



Neil breathed in the scent of the forest.

It had just rained, the grass still damp and squishy under Neil’s tennis shoes. The ground was littered with half-dead leaves, evidence that fall was finally sweeping across Palmetto, and Neil relished the crunch underneath his feet.

Andrew was somewhere nearby, hidden in the underbrush, but Neil knew that he was still there. He could hear the soft movements of Andrew’s paws, smell him in the wind that cut through the trees (and Neil’s jacket) like a knife. Kevin was somewhere far ahead, just on the edge of Neil’s senses, but he wasn’t too worried. Kevin would always come back.

The moon filtered through the trees, providing the barest light to Neil’s sharpened senses. It wasn’t full, but almost; Neil felt the pull of the change under his skin, creating gooseflesh that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. There was the ever-present need to shed his human skin, to drop down on all fours and howl, but Neil resisted in favor of drinking in the peace of the forest.

_Junkie,_ Andrew’s voice whispered in his head through the pack bond, _you’re wasting time. Hurry up._

Neil rolled his eyes first, then his shoulders, carefully stripping off his shirt and shorts and stashing them underneath a nearby tree. He would be able to smell them out later, and he had already ruined too much of his wardrobe from changing without thinking of the consequences.

The change rolled up Neil’s spine first, like it always did, and Neil sunk deep into his mind to block out the pain from his bones breaking, shifting, fur pushing through his skin, nails lengthening to form vicious claws.

His face was always the worst part, beaten skin stretching to form a long muzzle, and Neil crouched low on the forest floor, silently bearing the pain.

Andrew was there when he rose up again, this time on all fours. He sat silently against a tree, hazel eyes watching emotionlessly, sand-colored fur ruffled up against the wind. Neil flexed his front paws, shaking off the last of the transformation before gliding over, silent for such a large wolf.

_You never make a noise_ , Andrew said, turning his nose to the wind. _It’s fucked up._

_You don’t make a noise when you change either,_ Neil pointed out, brushing his tail against Andrew’s side. Andrew shot him an unamused look, human expression strange on a canine face. 

_I’ve always done that_ , Andrew said, almost impatiently. _You used to scream, when you first got here._ There was no question, not even implied; just a statement of fact.

Neil didn’t reply, shaking his head back and forth in favor of using words, and turned to dive into the bushes, heightened instincts registering that Andrew followed. 

Neil remembered when he used to scream, before he went to Evermore and learned how to smother his pain, keep it locked, hide away in his own thoughts until it was over. Andrew had noticed the difference when he had come back; everyone else had shrugged it off, focused instead on the outward massacred mess of Neil’s beaten body.

They ran as fast as Neil could, weaving through the trees as silent shadows.

The rest of the team was lingering somewhere on the edge of the forest; Neil could still hear Allison’s voice, hoarse from the change back to human, could still smell Aaron’s pelt, different from the smell of his human skin. Andrew said nothing about rejoining the others though, keeping pace with little difficulty. He was smaller than Neil, even in this form, though made up for it with a viciousness that was evident in the way that he moved.

It was nearing midnight by the time Neil slowed to a halt, panting in an attempt to cool down and still his fast-beating heart. Andrew stood beside him, peering into the shadows, calm and unbothered even though Neil had kept them running for upwards of an hour. 

_Are you finished?_

Neil laid down, swishing away leaves with his tail carelessly. _I am, only to keep you from passing out from exhaustion_. 

Andrew nipped at his ear, teeth sharp against the sensitive skin, and Neil pawed at his side half-heartedly. _Fucking Junkie_ , Andrew said, voice laced with an irritation that made Neil curl his lips into an approximation of a doggy smile. _Hurry up and get going. I can hear Wymack gathering the rest of them up._

Neil could hear the booming shout of the couch as well, even from this distance. _Five minutes_ , he promised, resting his head on his paws as Andrew settled beside him.

The stars were bright, clearly visible with none of the light pollution that surrounded Palmetto hiding them from view. They reminded Neil of all those years on the run with his mother; no matter where they were, stars were always a constant. Neil used to be able to count the number of things that he knew for certain on one hand: that you could trust no one, that he needed to listen to his mother, and that there would always be stars in the night sky, even when he couldn’t see them.

_You’re thinking too much_ , Andrew told him, _I can see the steam from your head from here._

_Nothing important_ , Neil replied, _just of how things used to be_.

Andrew gave him a few extra minutes before getting up with a shake, stretching out as far as he could, claws digging deep furrows into the ground. Neil mirrored him, shaking his head roughly before leading the way back to the Palmetto pack.

Most were back in their human form by the time Andrew and Neil made their way to the cars. Kevin was still in wolf form, pacing anxiously while Wymack leaned with his arms crossed against his car. Dan was a lump of fur in Matt’s lap, while Allison leaned against the dark shadow of Renée. Aaron and Nicky were already gone, most likely to round up snacks and drinks for the customary party at Wymack’s house that followed a pack outing. Neil ducked into the darkness to change back in peace, shaking off the dirt and leaves from his clothes. When he rejoined the group, Andrew had changed back as well and was smoking from the front seat of the GS, Kevin curled up in the backseat with his tail over his eyes. 

“How long is he going to stay like that?” Neil asked as he climbed into the passenger seat, waving back to Matt and Dan as they pulled away, Renée and Allison in the bed of Matt’s truck.

“Who knows,” Andrew replied, taking a long drag of his cigarette and exhaling a smoky cloud. “He won’t say.”

Neil shot a look to the wolf in the back, but Kevin didn’t deign to show any sign that he was listening to their conversation.

By the time he had turned back around Andrew had already started the car, peeling out onto the road that circled Palmetto University’s Experimental Forest, slowly gaining on the distant tail lights of Matt’s truck. Neil could see the shapes of Renée and Allison in the back, illuminated by the moonlight, heads close together to hide from the icy wind.

All it took from Andrew was a glance in the rearview for Kevin to stand up on the seat when they had parked, Andrew reaching behind his seat to open the door for him. Kevin disappeared towards the house, unusually slow, and Neil looked after him for a long moment before turning back to Andrew.

“Is he that worried about Riko?”

“Who knows,” Andrew repeated. He already had a cigarette out and motioned impatiently for Neil to grab the lighter from the glove compartment. 

“Are _you_ worried?”

“No.”

Neil watched Andrew inhale deeply before plucking the cigarette from his fingers, ignoring the look of irritation Andrew sent him. 

The pack had already started by the time that Neil and Andrew walked through the door, Matt and Nicky manning the makeshift bar in the kitchen while Allison and Dan filled various bowls and plates with chips and dips. Kevin was back in human form, forlornly clutching a bottle as he sprawled across the couch, and Neil rolled his eyes at the sight while Andrew looked on impassively. 

There was always too much contact after a pack run, the rest of the team euphoric from the change. Allison brushing her arm against Neil’s as she passed, Matt ruffling his hair as he grabbed a soda, Nicky pressing into his side as he reached across to hand Dan a drink. Even Kevin allowed Renée to sit on the couch, moving his feet into her lap as she queued up whatever movie had been voted on, hand resting on Kevin’s ankle.

It was too much, and Neil waited until the rest had settled down to the opening of some action flick to escape, silently slipping out of Wymack’s apartment and heading towards the roof.

He felt the brief spike of panic through the bond, the rest collectively and instinctively registering his absence, but it was gone as soon as it had come. Neil had a few guesses as to why. 

He was proven right when he heard the door open with a _bang_ , and as Andrew stalked up behind him, bracing himself against the cold. Neil tilted his head back just a little to look at him, then leaned back a little more to look at the moon.

Andrew didn’t say a word as he sat beside Neil, looking straight ahead into the open darkness. Wymack’s building was one of the tallest objects around, which meant that anyone on the roof had an almost unobstructed view for as far as they could see. Palmetto University glittered below them.

“Do you think that we’ll win?”

Andrew looked at Neil out of the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the view before them. Neil waited.

“Yes.”

“Then we will,” Neil said, like it was that simple. Andrew scoffed but didn’t respond. Instead he chose to stand up abruptly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“Get up, Junkie, it’s too cold to be sitting out here with you.”

Andrew didn’t wait to see if Neil would follow before turning and heading towards the door to the roof. Neil looked after him for just a second before he got up, stretching his arms above his head as far as he could, and trailed after him.


End file.
